Style Crush: Zooey Deschanel

Here is one of those actresses that continues to evolve in front of your eyes.  
She also has what I think is a great name.  Say it out loud: ZOOEY DESCHANEL!
Know what I mean?

She has one of those gorgeous self-depracating personalities that is so infectious you can't help wanting to see more and more of her on screen.

She also has a singing voice to die for. I just love her singing in the shower in Elf, it's so pretty and old-fashioned like Rosemary Clooney.


Click here to have a listen to her velvety honey-like voice.

This blue coat is gorgeous vintage and paired with the white pumps, short shift and plaid scarf, she looks relaxed and chic.

Sassy and quirky as well as sexy, Zooey does dressing up to perfection.

A big fan of vintage clothing, she always knows exactly what suits her.  She dresses like a lady, as my mum would say.  It's like she was born in another time, she would have done well in Katherine Hepburn's time I think.

You know how fond I am of pictures of girls and their bicycles, this is such a lovely shot.

Zooey is obviously a big fan of wearing dresses and skirts.  Most of the pictures I found of her she is wearing exactly that.  It would be strange to see her in jeans I think.  

She is definitely a style icon in the making and I do believe she is also going to be a big, big star.  


Have a great weekend everyone.  

Ciao for now,

Hx

*Runway: Costume National

The designer Ennio Capasa was at his best again when working along sharp, sexy lines for his Spring Collection. The Costume femmes fales were slightly rough around the edges: leather shorts and jacket, high heel biker boots and oversized sunglasses.

The Paris fashion week show from Costume National showed us leathers and creamy silks in deep browns, slate greys and paler blues.

My favourite is definitely the brown biker-chick combo of jacket and shorts in a rich, vegetable-dyed leather.

*Had some problems with my laptop, so sorry for the waiting!*

*Tell me what you think!*

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Sources:

Style

Elle

I Dream of the Perfect Boudoir

I can't seem to fully wake up today.  You know those days when you wish you could just laze around in bed for as long as you wanted?  


Alas those days are gone for me, having children fixed that pretty quickly.  

I just want to laze around in bed, reading, writing and snoozing. 

This is a very clever use of printing on fabric.  Almost like a tromp l'oeil yes?

If ever I do get to spend some time in bed, (usually when I am unwell), I tend to start pointing out to myself all the things that are wrong with it. 


 Like the fact that I would love a king-size bed, the constant lack of storage, the  dilapidated lighting fixtures and the piles of stuff lying on any available space.

I have always liked painted floorboards, but with a black labrador that sheds like nobody's business, this would be a nightmare.  I also like the very simple platform here for the mattress.  

Every room in our house has been finished just how I want it, all except for the master bedroom.  Instead it has become a dumping ground for paperwork, clothes and just stuff we don't know what to do with.  I'm quite sad about it.

This reminds me of a hotel we stayed at in Florence.  Quirky decoration but functional with a lovely use of colour.  We even had a view of il Duomo and it was only 75 euro a night!  

I know this is a single bed, but I am loving the warm sunny yellow doonah, it is just so inviting!

Simple, minimalist, easy to maintain and yet comforting.  

This is the ultimate bedroom I think.  Having doors that open up to the outside is just perfection for me.  The hint of the tropical surroundings makes me feel like I am waking up in a resort on some hidden island (I wish!).

This doonah is gorgeous.  If only I could dress my bed in something like this. Keeping the dog off the bed would then become a full-time occupation though - and not a very successful one either.

I want to buy a new bed, and turn our bedroom into a sanctuary for two long-married lovers and a haven for exhausted parents. A place that we can retreat to when we don't wish to be disturbed. But how to do this on a budget is the big question. I have been collecting images to help keep me inspired. I think that I may have a little anxiety about it which could explain why our room is still unfinished...


One day I guess?

Ciao for now,

Hx

Le Divorce: An American In Paris

Le Divorce (2003), directed by James Ivory, tells the story of Isabel Walker (Kate Hudson), a young American woman who comes to Paris to help her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) only to find upon her arrival that her sister's husband has left her to be with his married lover.  

For me, one of the primary pleasures of Le Divorce is its cast. Leads Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts, are cast well as sisters.  The supporting cast is filled with great names such as Glen Close, Stephen Fry, Stockard Channing, Sam Waterson, Matthew Modine and Leslie Caron. Based on the novel by Diane Johnson, Le Divorce was billed as a comedy but in truth, I am not sure if this is correct because whilst there are indeed humorous moments, the film is also punctuated with moments of tragedy, loneliness and deep sadness.  

This film has two plots.  One plot, which I shall call Roxy's story, is well, about Roxy and her divorce.  Then there is Isabel's story and her journey of self-discovery while in Paris.  

Isabel arrives in Paris, the quintessential California girl.  Very quickly she takes it upon herself to become the mistress of her French uncle-in-law Edgar, of course which can come to no good, because she eventually and unexpectedly falls in love with him.  In order to woo Edgar, a man much older than she, Isabel changes her hair and buys expensive lingerie from La Perla (oh I wish! - H) and calls him up whereby Edgar invites Isabel to lunch where the "frisson" is apparent and the rules of engagement for the affair are laid down by Edgar.  Shortly thereafter she receives a hand-delivered Hermès Kelly bag symbolising the beginning of the affair - a symbol which we later discover Edgar has used many times before.

What I love about this movie - aside from it being set in Paris,is that it so cleverly illustrates some of the cultural clashes between American and French views regarding marriage, divorce and adultery and their inevitable incompatibility.  

Glen Close's character Olivia Pace, is such a great role for her.  She looks more beautiful here than I can every recall her looking and her long grey hair suits her.  As an American expatriate writer living in Paris, it is her wit and intelligence and later as mentor to Isabel that makes me Iike her even more.  One of my favourite scenes is when Glen's character talks about writing a book on French women and how their scarves alone could fill entire chapter.  I love it!

Isabel meets Yves through Glen Close's character Olivia Pace and they become casual lovers, even throughout her affair with Edgar.

Bitter entanglements prevail in Le Divorce with relatives on both sides unashamedly amplifying the conflict.  Charles-Henri's ostentatious family, for example, wish to exert their 50-50 property rights over a valuable La Tour painting belonging to Roxy - a move vigorously contested by her stereotypically brash American family. 

Kate Hudson's character Isabel changes her hair to appear more Parisienne (i.e. sophisticated and womanly) in order to attract the attention of her much older uncle-in-law, Edgar who later becomes her lover and heart-breaker.  I hate this look on her, it ages her and I feel that this shows her losing her sense of self as she struggles to achieve status.  I am so relieved when she grows out her haircut in the end and lets it return to its naturally curly state!

Sam Waterson, Stockard Channing, and Thomas Lennon are each excellent as members of Roxy and Isabel’s Santa Barbara-based family. 

The film is a veritable love letter to Paris, which is of course one of the reasons why I enjoy watching it so much.  Director James Ivory presents a portrait of the city that’s so infused with romance that it’s impossible for Isabel to feel terribly displaced for too long.  It embraces the city’s food, culture and language enthusiastically. 

As we watch Roxy and Isabel ride through their individual romantic roller coasters, the two plots complement each other well. Isabel’s might superficially feel a bit frivolous, but the seriousness of her sister’s life diffuses some melancholy throughout her scenes. 


By crosscutting between the two narrative threads, the film seems to be both commenting on the inevitable fall that awaits the younger, more idealistic sister and suggests new possibilities for Roxy.
James Ivory creates a vividly transporting Parisian atmosphere and even though one could be forgiven for thinking that with the climax taking place atop the Eiffel Tower is a tad clichéd; when the film does end, I always feel that I am not ready yet because I would like to follow the characters around a little more as some of them were just beginning to get interesting.
  

Ciao for now,

Hx

Sources: IMBD.com, Google.com

*Fashion: Street Style

My interest for street style photography is just growing and growing these days. They not only have become a core reference tool for fashion houses and designers, but also for me these blogs are a big inspiration. Statement pieces are just getting interesting when it's worn by the right people. With my passion for photography and fashion I'm wondering to start one of my one blogs someday, with the lack of street style photographers in Belgium.

*What do you think?*

*If you have some spare time, it would be amazing to Tell a friend about my blog!*

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Sources:

The Sartorialist

Stockholm Streetstyle

Elle